Sound off in Sound Transit’s online open house for Ballard light rail

While the Ballard light rail’s open house is coming up on Thursday evening, you don’t have to wait until then to offer your feedback.

Sound Transit launched a rather elaborate online open house for the Ballard-West Seattle light rail project today, complete with a map of the route where you can drop your own comment pins. There are quite a few along the map already (above).

To get you thinking, here’s one example of a comment along the route. It was was linked in the My Ballard Facebook group, and it already has quite a few “likes” on the Sound Transit map:

Please shift the alignment of the Ballard Station at Market Street further west, to better serve the true, historical urban center of this community. Ideally, the station at Market Street should also be served via a tunnel and should be designed for future expansion west/east of this line’s north/south alignment, particularly if the station location is kept along 15th Ave NW (then Sound Transit could retroactively fix the “error” of not building closer to the historical center of Ballard).

You can also comment generally on the project, submit your “benefits” and “impacts”, sign up for regular email updates, track progress and keep tabs on upcoming community events.

It’s all part of the “early scoping period” when Sound Transit prepares for the more lengthy environmental review process. The city wants to know your feedback on the proposed route and station locations. Early scoping comments will be accepted through March 5th.

If you prefer more in-person feedback, the first Ballard open house will be held this Thursday, Feb. 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Leif Erikson Lodge.